Monday, 17 September 2007

I was walking around shibuya to discover this festival by chance. It was really nice and I enjoyed it very much. This is a traditional Japanese festival. I would really appreciate more information about it from all Japan lovers out there.

They were dancing, shouting, laughing and running all over shibuya. I have never seen shibuya this crowded, eventhough usually you cannot find a place for you to stand in.

A mikoshi (神輿, mikoshi) is a portable Shinto shrine. Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle of a divine spirit in Japan at the time of a parade of deities. Often, the mikoshi resembles a miniature building, with pillars, walls, a roof, a veranda and a railing. Typical shapes are rectangles, hexagons, and octagons. The body, which stands on two poles (for carrying), is usually lavishly decorated, and the roof might hold a carving of a Phoenix.

During a matsuri, people bear a mikoshi on their shoulders by means of the two poles. They bring the mikoshi from the shrine, carry it around the neighborhoods that worship at the shrine, and in many cases leave it in a designated area, resting on blocks, for a time before returning it to the shrine. Some shrines have the custom of dipping the mikoshi in the water of a nearby lake, river or ocean. At certain festivals, the people who bear the mikoshi wave it wildly from side to side, and from time to time, deaths occur when a mikoshi strikes a bystander or participant.

A mikoshi was believed to have been first used to transport Hachiman to Tōdai-ji temple from Usa Jingu in 749.

Saqfsan, Samersan, you know much better than me...!Sanadsan, i thought they were very very nice photos. you focused on people very well. but, what is "more 'exciting' pictures!" ? hmmm???! misetekudasaina!

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Eeeeh so here I am, finally achieving my dream of visiting Japan. Not just that, but I am living there while studying in the absolute best university in Asia, The University of Tokyo. First I studied Masters in Electronics Engineering, and now I am going through PhD in Electrical & Electronics Engineering.